How Many Children Should Women Deliver?

Pregnancy and childbirth make woman's body strongerScientists determined that delivery of 3-4 children has favorable effect upon woman's health, and not only health. Correspondent of Zhenskoye Zdorovye (Woman's Health) discussed the issue with director of the Moscow medical center for marriage and family problems, Mikhail Berkenheim

-Many families now have only one child, or maximum two. Some women won't give birth to babies at all. Are woman's health and her genital functions interrelated?

If we speak about the medical aspect, it is harmful for woman's health to have no children. Indeed, if a woman doesn't give birth to babies for a rather long period it means that she either takes contraceptives or has abortions. Usually hormonal contraceptives that women use reduce the ovary functions, disturb blood coagulation, liver functions, cause diseases of blood vessels (especially in legs) and other problems. Sometimes even condoms may become the source of many of woman's problems. Export of expired condoms to Russia has recently increased. They often burst, and women risk to catch sexually transmitted diseases that, as is known, entail problems in the reproductive functions and other problems.

Abortion is rough interference into the natural process; it does have serious consequences. The most widely spread of them is inflammation causing disorders in uterus pipes, perforation of uterus and bowels sides, uterus contamination, endometriosis that is awfully painful and may entail infertility.

Abortion is particularly dangerous for women who never delivered babies. This operation is not only dangerous as such; it activates viruses and infections concealed in a woman's body. Bad nutrition and poor ecological conditions reduce the immunity of majority of women. The body of any woman contains conditionally pathogenic infections (clamidiosis, mycoplasma) that are inert in regular conditions; but these bacteria speedily multiply after an abortion, they strongly attack a woman's weakened body.

-It is said that pregnancy and childbirth make woman's body stronger. What is the essence of the process?

Pregnancy and childbirth are the strongest activators of a woman's immunity and tonus. Both processes mobilize all concealed reserves of a woman's organism which in their turn strengthen her health and make her life longer. Women blossom after childbirth; they feel bursts of energy and look more attractive. The body of a woman is meant for delivery of 3-4 children. Women experience serious disbalance in health if the natural order is broken. This is the reason why women suffer from various diseases.